Tomorrow
by Konie Hime
Summary: Vincent leaves his life behind to make a new one, but he has no idea where to start. AU, possible yaoi in later chapters, hence the rating. CidxVincent
1. New Beginning

Just thought that I should try writing something about my favorite FF characters, Vincent and Cid. No Cid in this chapter, but he'll show up soon! I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I'll be sure to update on a semi-regular basis. I'll be writing it while at work, so hopefully I'll get an update out every couple days.  
  
Vincent leaves his old life behind to find something more.  
  
Rated R for later chapters  
  
Pairings: Cid/Vincent Yes, it will probably be yaoi, but not yet.   
  
Flames are fun, but criticism is more helpful. :P  
  
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A new job, a new life. Vincent hoped that it would bring meaning to his rather dull existance. He stood outside the building glancing up at the sky. He didn't want to be here. He would rather be home, alone. Other people made him feel uncomfortable and very self conscious. He liked his own space and he knew that he would not be granted that in this building. He tugged on his jacket hoping to hide his golden claw and walked through the front doors. He was greeted at the front desk by a youthful woman in black pinstripe suit. She stood up as he walked towards the desk.  
  
"Hello there. Do you have an appointment?" she asked while pulling out a clipboard from behind the desk.  
  
Vincent nervously shoved his claw behind his back. "No, I'm actually here for a job." He began thinking that maybe he was at the wrong building or wrong entrance. He looked around for any sign to tell him exactly where he was.  
  
She flipped through the pages on the clipboard. "Okay. Well, you don't look like a Kristy, so I'm going to assume that you're Vincent." She looked up with a smile. The smile that she gave him put him more at ease. He relaxed a bit and nodded. "Great. You're a bit early, but that's nothing to worry about. Come with me."  
  
She led him down the hall and into an office on the south side of the building. She knocked quietly and was answered by a short balding man. "Sir, Mr. Valentine is here."  
  
"Thanks Mel." She turned and walked away while he ushered Vincent inside. "I'm Nolan, in case you didn't know yet." He motioned for Vincent to take a seat and then sat down on the other side of the desk. "I'm just going to go over a few things with you and then leave you on your own for the rest of the day."  
  
Vincent wasn't paying much attention while the older man went through the different policies and procedures of the company. Although he had never worked in such a place, he already knew what was expected of him in that sense. He was only waiting to hear of his exact job title. He had accepted the job without knowing what it would entail because he had just wanted to get away from the life that was slowly killing him. Stuck in that small town with nowhere to go. He had been given a chance to escape everything and he readily took it. He barely said goodbye to his family before he boarded the train. They weren't happy or sad to see him go. They seemed indifferent as if they were saying goodbye to pet goldfish.  
  
"And that's how it is around here." Nolan had seemed to have finished his speech and stood up. "Come, I'll take you to your office." He opened his office door and stepped out into the hall. Vincent stood and followed him.  
  
'Did I miss the part about my position?' Vincent though as he followed him through the maze of cubicles and offices. 'And why will I be getting my own office?' He was trying to figure everything out when they stopped outside a door at the end of a hallway. He turned to Nolan who was looking for the key.  
  
"Aha! There we go." He then handed the small silver key over to Vincent. He held it for a moment and then put it in the lock. It turned easily and he opened the door. The room was dark and didn't seem to have been used for a long time. "Well, I'm sure you want to get used to everything here. Feel free to explore and find your way around the building." With that he turned and walked down the hallway.  
  
Vincent stepped inside and turned on the light. It was a lot smaller and not as elaborate as Nolan's had been, but it suited him just fine. The walls were burgandy and had some empty bookshelves lined against them. He walked around and sat behind the wooden desk. He leaned back and sighed. "I still don't know what I'm doing here." 


	2. Messy

Sorry that last chapter was really short, but I just wanted to get my idea up and see what people thought about it. This chapter isn't much longer, but it works. Hopefully I'll speed this story up soon. Thanks to everyone that reviewed! ::cough:: Razer ::cough::   
  
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After wandering around the building a few times, Vincent finally decided to talk to Nolan about what he was doing there. He was worried about looking like a fool for not knowing what job that he was doing, but it would be best to hurry up and find out. He was walking through the cafeteria thinking when he heard a loud crash. He turned to his right to see a young woman completely covered in her lunch. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to watch as she became more and more embarassed. She was still sitting there, covered in food, by the time he walked over to her.  
  
"Are you alright?" he said while standing over her. She looked up at him sheepishly and then turned away as she felt the blood rush to her face. Her short brown hair even had some food stuck in it. He tucked a piece of his long black hair behind his ear while waiting for her answer.  
  
"I... I'm fine." she stammered while standing back up. She wiped away the bits of food that still clung to her clothing and turned to look at him. "Thanks." She bent over to pick up her tray while a cafeteria worker was cleaning up the rest. Everyone else had already resumed their normal lunch time activities.  
  
"You missed some." he said as he reached down with his human hand and brushed some lettuce out of her hair. She stood back up and looked at him, still holding the tray.  
  
"Shit!" The two of them turned to see another man coming towards them. He rushed over to the girl and wiped off some more food that was still on her clothing. "Damn you get messy, girl. Looks like I'll always have to take care of you." She looked even more embarassed about her situation now that he had arrived. "Hey, thanks for helping her, man. Name's Cid. This here's my kid sister, Kristy. She just started here and she's already gettin herself in trouble." He smiled and scratched the back of his head. She was still standing next to him with her head down and a blush across her face.  
  
Vincent held out his hand and said, "I'm Vincent, nice to meet both of you." Cid shook his hand gladly while Kristy looked up at him and gave him a friendly nod. "Well, I should get going now. I'll see you two around." Vincent waved as he walked out of the cafeteria towards Nolan's office.  
  
Cid still stood with Kristy in the cafeteria still trying to clean her off as best as he could. He wasn't nearly as tall as vincent, but he seemed around the same age. There didn't seem to be any more similarities between the two men. Cid had short blonde hair that didn't seem to be very well kept. He was more outgoing than Vincent as well. Although almost everyone was compared to the dark man.  
  
Vincent continued towards the office, sneaking a look over his shoulder to see Cid still taking care of his little sister. He couldn't help but smile as she was trying to get him to stop embarassing her in front of everyone. He turned the corner and reached the office in a few moments. He hesitated a minute trying to think of how to phrase his ridiculous question. He leaned against the wall and looked at his claw for a while wondering why they would've hired him with this abnormality in the first place.  
  
He gently rapped on the door and heard Nolan telling him to enter. He stepped through the door just as his boss was hanging up his phone. "Hello, sir." Vincent said as he sat across the desk. "I just wanted to ask you a couple questions about my job."  
  
"Sure thing! You can ask me anything you like." He smiled at Vincent and then continued, "But next time, please just call me Nolan." He chuckled as he noticed Vincent was clearly more relaxed than when he first entered the office.  
  
"Well, si-... Nolan, I don't believe I was ever told exactly what my job would be here." He brushed his hair back and cursed himself for not tying it back when he came here.  
  
Nolan stood up and walked to the side of the desk leaning against it casually. "I guess Mel didn't tell you when you were called to come here. That's alright, I should've told you when we had that talk earlier." Vincent surpressed a sigh of relief now that he knew he didn't just miss that part of the conversation while he had been thinking. Nolan continued, "Basically, you'll be our resident physician." Vincent raised an eyebrow at that sentence. "Because of your extensive medical background, we thought you would be ideal for this. We don't really need a doctor in an office building such as this, but its better to be safe than sorry."  
  
"So, more like a school nurse than an actual doctor?" Nolan nodded. Vincent hadn't been properly trained in medicine, but he had an extensive background in first aid and prevention. He wouldn't have felt right taking an official medical position, but just being there for first aid purposes was more appropriate. "Thank you."  
  
"You can spend the rest of the day getting to know the building. The actual first aid room is just to the right of your office. I'm sure you'll do great here." With that Nolan escorted Vincent out of the room and thanked him for coming to see him.  
  
He headed down the hall to take another look at his office and saw Cid walking towards him talking to someone else. He stopped and watched them walk hoping to make eye contact with the blonde and maybe talk for a moment. Vincent sighed as they turned down another hallway without noticing him. He reached the end of the hallway and opened the door to the room. Closing it behind him, he leaned back on it lifting his claw to look at it. "I'll never be able to have friends when I look like this..." 


	3. Attached?

Wow... Reviews make me so happy! Thankies Ezri! And of course, thanks to my Tako-chan for pointing out my crazy mistake in Chpt 2. .;;  
  
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He locked the door behind him as he left for the day. Most of the people had already left for the day, but there were sill a few people finishing up at their desks. He glanced down the halls to see if he knew anyone that was still lingering. He had just started today, but he did have a couple coversations with his coworkers. Most were curious about his job and he noticed that they always avoided looking at his golden arm. He had been used to people staring at him, but this seemed to bother him more.  
  
Vincent exited the building stepping into the cool evening air. There didn't seem to be any chance of rain, so he decided to walk to the closest hotel. He hadn't made any living arrangements yet, but he decided to leave that until the morning. He would have plenty of time to look for something on the weekend. He reached a small hotel just down the road from his new work. He payed for the room with the small amount of money that he had brought with him and took the key as he headed towards the room.  
  
He lay himself on the bed staring at the stained ceiling. 'I definately need to find somewhere better to stay,' he thought as he rolled himself onto his side. He kicked off his shoes and fell asleep within minutes.  
  
Leaving the hotel early, Vincent spent the rest of his day searching for a simple appartment to rent. After a couple hours he hadn't found any that were within his price range and close to his job. Defeated, he headed back to the hotel to spend another night there. He spent the rest of his afternoon and evening cooped up in the hotel room thinking of what he would do about somewhere to live. He couldn't stay in this hotel forever. He could barely afford to stay for the rest of the week.  
  
Monday morning was hell for Vincent. His neighbours in the hotel had something to celebrate and made sure to keep him awake for most of the night. He waved to Mel as he walked through the doors. The long hall seemed to never end as he made his way painfully to his office. Closing the door behind him, he sat down behind his desk not even bothering to turn on the lights. He leaned forward resting his head on his folded arms and drifted into a welcoming slumber.  
  
He didn't hear the soft knocking on his door, nor when it was opened and the man stepped inside. "Doc..." Vincent heard that soft call though and started coming back to reality. He didn't know how long he had slept, but it must've been awhile if someone was there looking for him. He lifted his head and looked towards the door. The lights had not been turned on and the light from the hallway did not offer enough visibility to identify the stranger.  
  
"Hmmm?" He asked, hoping not to sound too groggy. He sat up more and motioned for the man to turn on the light. The harsh light hit his eyes causing him to wince noticeably. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light as he rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand.  
  
"Have a good nap, Doctor Vin?" Vincent looked up to see Cid standing on the other side of the desk chuckling to himself.  
  
"It would've been better if I hadn't been woken up by someone like you." Vincent said smiling. "Were you sent here to wake me up?" he asked, wondering if he had missed anyone else coming to the door.  
  
"Nah, I actually came to see you because I did something really fucking stupid." Cid then held up his right hand which was quite 'attached' to a red stapler. Vincent had to cover his mouth quickly to surpress a laugh. "Ya, I could've taken care of it m'self, but they sent me here because it would need to be recorded in the log thingy since it is work related." He was evidently embarassed about having to see Vincent for this kind of issue, but tried not to show it.  
  
Vincent was still trying not to laugh as he stood up and walked to the door. "We'll get that taken care of then." 


	4. I need more bandaids

Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you're liking it so far. I still don't know what direction I want to take this, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon! Sorry that this update is a little late, but I had some stuff to take care of at home. And without further delay, here's chapter 4!  
  
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The removal of the stapler had been nearly painless, but the uncomfortable silence was unbearable. Cid was sitting on the small cot at the far wall of the first aid room while Vincent was sitting at the desk filling in the paper work. Cid was staring at the small bandage wrapping his finger wondering why Vincent had even put one on him. It hadn't been bleeding, but maybe it was to prevent infection. He was just impressed that he had bothered to spend this much time on such a stupid problem. He lifted his head as he heard Vincent put down his pen.  
  
"Well, I think that's about it." Vincent said while pushing his chair back and standing up. He picked the few papers off of his desk and walked over as Cid was jumping off of the edge of the bed. "You'll need to hand these in." he said as he handed the papers over. He looked over at Cid who was giving the papers a puzzling look. "Are you ready to head back to work, or do you need more of a break?"  
  
"I don't think you need me bothering you anymore." Cid folded up the piece of paper and put it in his back pocket and headed towards the door.  
  
"You're not bothering me." The objection startled Cid and he looked back at Vincent. "I actually wouldn't mind the company. It would help me stay awake." He smiled at that thought.  
  
"Sure thing Vin! I would love a chance to get away from work for a bit longer." He placed his hands in his pockets and continued, "So, where the hell are we going to go?"  
  
"To tell you the truth, I don't really know this city." Vincent walked over to Cid and opened the door. "For now we'll head to my office. That will give us some time to think and make it look like we're discussing your 'injury'." Cid rolled his eyes and followed Vincent out of the door.  
  
They stepped into the office and Cid closed the door behind them. Vincent made his way to the chair behind his desk and leaned back while Cid sat down on the corner of the desk. They were both quiet for a long time trying to come up with a suggestion as to what they could do. Vincent was feeling a little guilty about skipping work, but this was an office building and they really didn't need him there. He wouldn't be missed if he left for an hour or so.  
  
Cid finally broke the silence. "So, did you stay up too late partying last night?"  
  
Vincent raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"Well, you were all snoozin and shit, man. I could only guess what kind of wild party you went to." He laughed and turned to face the other man more. Vincent still had a confused look on his face as he looked toward Cid.  
  
Vincent had never gone to an actual party before. His parents get together could hardly be considered parties, let alone wild ones. It was a quiet town and nothing much happened there. "Heh... I wasn't the one having the party." Now it was Cid's turn to look confused. "The people in the next room over decided to keep me awake all night. They even came over and started banging on my door thinking that I was someone else." He chuckled to himself and lifted his golden claw, "I think I scared them a bit with this."  
  
Cid laughed a bit as well. "Fucking kids." Vincent put down his claw and readjusted his clothing to cover it a bit more. "So, why the hell are you staying there anyways?"  
  
He shrugged his shoulders, "I haven't found anything better yet."  
  
Cid hopped off the desk. "That settles it! You're coming with me." Vincent stood up shocked and confused at Cid's outburst as Cid ran behind the desk and grabbed Vincent's hand. He had nearly dragged Vincent out into the hallway before Vincent put up a struggle. Without thinking, Vincent grabbed Cid's wrist with his claw and pulled him off. The sharp tips had barely pierced the soft skin, but it was enough to cause a small cry from Cid.  
  
Vincent let go and took a couple steps back in shock. He placed his good hand over his mouth as he looked at Cid rubbing his wrist. "I'm so sorry..." he finally managed to choke out. 


	5. Where are we going?

WHEEEEEEEE! New reviewers rock! Sorry this took so long to get out, but I've been a bit busy lately at work and so I thought I would work on this during my weekend, but then I started to make a hat. .   
  
Anyways, thanks for all the words of encouragement and extra thanks to those who have added this story to their favorites list.   
  
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Cid looked up at Vincent and noticed the horrified look on his face. He hadn't been hurt much, but he could tell that Vincent felt as if he was mortally wounded. He stepped closer to Vincent and held up his arm.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Vincent lifted his head and looked at Cid's wrist. "See? You barely scratched me! I think I could handle a bit more than that." Vincent relaxed considerably as Cid started laughing. "Nothing can take down the good Cid Highwind!" he boasted.  
  
"Except a stapler." Vincent added sarcastically.  
  
"Ah shit man. Do you have to bring that up?" His cheeks coloured slightly as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Vincent laughed gently to himself. "Well, I'm glad you've cheered up. Let's get our asses out of here."  
  
"But where will we be going?" Vincent was still puzzled about Cid's plans.  
  
Cid walked behind Vincent and started pushing him towards the door. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."  
  
They walked quietly through the halls, taking care not to draw attention to themselves. There were a few people that waved to Cid, but they knew better than to make a big deal out of it. They waved to Mel as they left the building and just as they stepped outside the door, they heard her call to them.  
  
"Hey guys?" They nervously turned to face her. "Have a good lunch break."  
  
Cid smiled knowing that she was too sweet to say anything else. "Oh we will! We'll be back in awhile." He stepped out into the sun with Vincent still following him cautiously.  
  
Vincent sighed. "That was close."  
  
"Heh. She wouldn't have said or done anything to stop us." He started walking around the side of the building. "We'll catch the bus here."  
  
"Are you ever going to tell me where we're going or am I just supposed to trust you blindly?" Vincent asked while sitting on the bus bench. He stretched while waiting for a reply.  
  
"I'm not gonna fuckin kill you if that's what you're worried about." Cid laughed as he stepped on to the bench. He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked down the street. "The bus should be here any minute." He dropped his hand and sat down next to his coworker.  
  
"I guess that would be a sufficient answer for now." Vincent rolled his eyes at Cid who then clutched his chest and pretended to be hurt. "Oh my... You're such a drama queen aren't you?"  
  
Cid laughed, "Ya right!" The bus pulled up in front of them both and stopped with a screech. Cid reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change while Vincent was quickly looking for his own bus fare. "Hey, I got us both covered." Vincent nodded his thanks as Cid handed over the bus fare. Cid headed to the back of the bus as it started to move again. He slumped down in the blue vinyl seat and motioned for Vincent to sit near him.  
  
Vincent sat down lightly and looked out the window. He was lost in this new city and really did not know where the bus was heading. He watched as the scenery went by quickly trying to figure out where he was. He decided to try and get the answer from Cid again. "Where is the bus going?" he said as he turned to face Cid.  
  
"It goes everywhere." Cid answered with a smirk plastered on his face.  
  
"You know that's not what I meant." The bus made a right and Cid pulled on the cord to signal for the next stop. "Looks like we're here." He stood up and made his way to the door as the bus came to a complete stop. Vincent quickly followed behind stepping off of the bus and onto the sidewalk. Vincent looked up at the tall building.  
  
"Ummm... Cid? Why are we at a museum?" Vincent turned to see Cid walking down the street.   
  
Cid stopped as he heard Vincent speaking to him. "What are you doing back there? Hurry up!" He turned around as Vincent started running towards him.   
  
They walked for few more minutes before Cid turned towards a large appartment building. He fumbled in his pockets while Vincent looked up at the building quizzically. He wasn't sure why he was there. Was Cid going to show him something or was there something sinister in Cid's plans? He didn't know him that well, but he felt like he could trust him. He looked over at Cid who was cursing under his breath while still looking through his pockets.  
  
"Aha!" Cid exclaimed holding up a small silver key. He turned it in the lock and opened the door for Vincent.   
  
They stepped into the nearly empty lobby and Cid walked over and pushed the button for the elevator. Vincent walked over and leaned against the wall. They stepped inside the elevator as it arrived and Cid pushed the button for the third floor. The ride was short and uneventful, but Vincent's mind still raced with thoughts about what he would see today. He was a little excited, but was also feeling cautious. The doors opened and they entered the hallway. Cid turned left and stopped at the first door on his left. He turned the key and opened the door.  
  
"We're here." 


	6. I'm such a fucktard

PWaaa! Sorry about the lack of updates! I kinda got sidetracked by spending time with my family and then I had a bunch of training at work. At least I tried to write a bit during my training! I think I'll buy some paper so I can write at any time. That should keep me going.   
  
Thanks to all my reviewers! You all rock! I just had to leave that last chapter as a cliff hanger. I know... I'm so mean. :P  
  
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Vincent peered over Cid's shoulder into the small apartment. He didn't notice anything special about it while following Cid inside. Cid slumped down lazily on the small couch in the living room and watched Vincent as he scanned the room for any explanation as to why he had been brought here. All he could see from his vantage point was the small living room where Cid was seated and a kitchen to his right. There wasn't much furniture, just the couch Cid was sitting on and a small TV on a stand in the corner of the main room. It certainly didn't look as though he had been brought there for malicious purposes. He was brought out of his puzzling thoughts by Cid's voice.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Cid asked turning himself to face Vincent who was still standing just inside the doorway. He still managed to be taking up half of the couch while doing so.  
  
"About what?" Vincent was clearly confused as to why he was here which caused a smirk to appear on Cid's face. He could barely hold back the laughter which was threatening to come out. Vincent raised an eyebrow while waiting for Cid to continue. Cid took some time to compose himself while Vincent just stood there waiting. The serious look on Vincent's face diminished some of Cid's confidence.  
  
"Well..." Cid suddenly seemed reluctant as Vincent was watching him intently. Cid scratched the back of his head and turned away from Vincent to look at the floor. He muttered something, but Vincent couldn't make out what he was trying to say.  
  
"What was that?" Vincent asked taking a couple steps towards him. Cid mumbled a bit more as Vincent made his way over to stand right in front of him. "What?" he asked again leaning in a little to see if he could hear him better.  
  
"You can fucking live here instead of that shit hole hotel!" Cid looked uncomfortable and also a bit angry, but now he had lifted his head to look directly into Vincent's eyes. He hands were balled into tight fists which he held at his sides. Vincent was visibly shocked at both his outburst and at the proposal. Cid noticed this and quickly looked away defeated. It was awhile before Vincent began to reply.  
  
"Cid... I..." Vincent was desperately trying to find the words to say to Cid.  
  
"Fuck." Cid said it more in disappointment than in anger this time. "I should've known that it was a bad idea."  
  
"No Cid. That's not..." Cid stopped him suddenly.  
  
"I can be so stupid sometimes. You don't even fucking know me and I drag you all the way out here for nothing. You probably really did think I was going to kill you or something. I really don't think things through enough." Cid stood up and looked at Vincent. "I guess I should take you back to work now." He started walking towards the door.  
  
"No Cid." Vincent said carefully making sure that Cid had heard him. Cid turned around to see Vincent staring at him.  
  
'What could he be saying no to?' he thought as he leaned against the wall by the door. 'Maybe he's planning on never going back to work again because I'm such a fucktard. Or maybe...' Cid stopped thinking so much about it and waited for Vincent's explanation.  
  
Vincent was standing stoically trying to think of exactly what he was going to say. He never was good at speaking his mind to people. The words never came out right and he always took so long trying to think of what to say. So long sometimes that people thought that he was ignoring them. He really didn't want Cid to think that he was ignoring him, but he also didn't want to say the wrong thing. "Cid, I would love to." He said finally. 'No... that's not right. Love? Cid might take that the wrong way...' Vincent cursed himself inwardly.  
  
Cid's eyes lit up with Vincent's reply. "Oh!" Cid hadn't really thought everything through, but was eager to help Vincent. "Let's see then..." He drifted off in thought and started walking around the room talking to himself. Vincent sat down on the couch and watched him with mild amusement. It was apparant that Cid was trying to figure out how things would work now that they were going to be roommates, but Vincent couldn't actually hear what he was saying.  
  
Vincent let him continue for a little while before interrupting. "Do you always talk to yourself?"  
  
"Aw shit man..." Cid stopped where he was and turned away blushing. "I just get all fucking nervous and shit..."  
  
"And you start to curse more too." Vincent pointed out.  
  
Cid turned to look at him. "Fuck you." At that Vincent burst out laughing. The sight of Cid just standing there looking shocked at Vincent's reaction made him laugh even harder. He clutched at his stomach with his good hand trying to stop himself. Cid smiled and playfully punched Vincent in the shoulder. Vincent was still trying to recover from his laughing fit when he looked up at Cid. "I guess we should figure out what I'm going to do with you." 


	7. Wake up

OMGosh! Is this another update? Ya, I've gotten lazy, but I've been trying to refine my writing more.  
  
Ezri - I can't believe you've never heard the word fucktard before! It has to be one of my favorite words. XD  
  
Kuro - I hope this update was soon enough for you. I've been a bit slow lately. Sorry!  
  
MRE - I'm so glad that you reviewed! Now I feel special. Don't worry, I won't be getting in any trouble for writing at work.   
  
Ace - Thanks for all your kind words!  
  
Tako - Thankies. I know I was supposed to get this chapter up yesterday, but I got lazy.  
  
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Cid lead Vincent past the kitchen and down the hallway. He stopped at the second door and motioned for Vincent to open it.  
  
"Is this it?" Cid nodded and Vincent opened the door. It was a small room with a window on the far wall. He stepped inside and grimaced at the paint colour. Light pink.  
  
"I know its not your colour, but Kristy didn't change it when she left." he explained. "You can paint the room again though."  
  
"I think I will do that then." Vincent walked up and looked out the window. It only gave him a view of the side street, but it was still nice. The neighbour's flowers were just coming to bloom and added a little colour to the street. He turned back towards Cid. "Do you mind if I asked why she moved out?"  
  
"Ya, well she didn't want to hang around me anymore. She even hates that we work at the same place now too." Cid shrugged. "She moved out with a couple of her girly friends a couple days ago."  
  
"I can understand that." Vincent said casually.  
  
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" Cid was easily angered by his new roommate's innocent comment and was quick to show it.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't calling you an ass or something." Cid turned away from Vincent embarrassed by his lack of control. "I meant that I would rather be around my friends than my family."  
  
"Is that why you moved here?"  
  
"To get away from my family... Ya, I guess so..." Vincent looked back out the window thinking. He wasn't really sure why he had come here. He had come to get away from everything, but didn't think that it was all that bad. He wasn't running away, he just wanted a change.  
  
Cid stood there for awhile just watching Vincent as he reflected on himself. He wanted to know more about why Vincent had come here and also how he had gotten his claw, but he could tell that he wasn't ready to share everything yet. Vincent was a mystery and a challenge and now Cid had resolved to figure him out. Cid always loved a challenge and was quite proud of himself that he was also helping Vincent out. His pride kept him from having really close friends, but Vincent intrigued him. He wasn't flat or fake like other people. He wanted to know him.  
  
"Ah..." Vincent had turned around to notice that he had been silent for awhile. Cid looked up and smiled. "Sorry about that Cid. I guess I got kinda sidetracked."  
  
"Hey, don't worry about that." Cid looked at his watch. "Shit. Its already five. We're not going to make it back to work tonight, but we should still get your stuff from that hotel."  
  
Vincent nodded. "It isn't much so I can just go get it myself."  
  
"Ha! You couldn't find your way back here if I drew you a damn map!" Cid laughed. "You'd probably get lost in your own damn dreamworld again."  
  
"I guess you're right." Vincent replied sheepishly.  
  
"Of course I am!" Cid said proudly. "We might as well leave now then."  
  
The bus ride was even more uneventful this time through town. Vincent made sure to pay attention to the route that the bus was taking just in case he ever needed to take it alone. By the time that they headed back home it had started to get dark. Vincent had given up his study on landmarks and was currently sleeping with his head resting against the cool window.  
  
"Hey, we're almost back." Cid said while gently shaking Vincent's shoulder.  
  
"Hnnn..." Vincent sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his good hand.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll be able to go back to sleep soon." Cid laughed lightly as they stepped off the bus. Cid carried Vincent's small bag while they made their way to the apartment. Vincent hadn't fully woken up yet and staggered down the hallway. Once inside, Vincent flopped on to the couch and promptly fell asleep.   
  
"Heh. What a surprise." Cid said as he grabbed a blanket to cover Vincent with. "Its still too early for me to sleep though." Cid made his way to the kitchen for a snack. He rummaged around the cupboards for a few minutes before retiring to his room with a large bowl of potato chips. He sat back in his bed and started watching a movie on the small TV and the end of his bed. Before long he was snoring more than the smaller man on the couch. 


	8. Reflections

Thanks for making me update Ezri! Its just what I needed to get off my lazy ass to sit down and write. XD I'm not even going to make up any excuses this time. I was just lazy.  
Thanks to everyone else that reviewed. This story is for all of you! -blows kisses-  
  
Cid woke up to a noise coming from the livingroom. He rolled over trying to go back to sleep as it was probably one of his neighbours hitting the wall. He decided to investigate once he started hearing moans. He grumbled to himself when he looked at his clock and saw that it was 2:36am. The movie had turned itself off a long time ago and he didn't remember watching more than 10min of it. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stepped in the puddle of forgotten potato chips.  
  
"Shit." he cursed while trying to shake the crumbs off of his feet. He kicked the bowl against the wall in frustration and made his way to the livingroom. Once there he had to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter. Vincent was sprawled on the floor tangled in the blankets. Thankfully his moaning had stopped, but he was still holding his head like he had hit it on the floor. He looked up as he heard Cid's foiled attempt at concealing his laughter.  
  
"Your couch sucks." he stated plainly trying to pick himself up off of the floor.  
  
"You're the one that decided to crash on it. Don't blame me." Cid said still trying not to laugh. He held out his hand to help Vincent to his feet.  
  
The combination of Cid pulling too hard and Vincent's legs still being caught in the blanket caused Vincent to fall forward into Cid knocking him to the floor with Vincent on top. Cid let out a grunt as he made contact with the carpeted floor. Vincent pushed his upper body off of Cid, bracing himself with an arm on either side of Cid's head.  
  
"Sorry." Vincent apologized solemnly. Cid turned his head to look at him. The stayed there for what seemed like forever until they heard someone hit the floor below them. Vincent got up quickly and shot Cid a look full of confusion and surprise. Cid grumbled, rolled over and hit his fist against the floor. It was answered by another hit and a shout. Cid sat up and grinned.  
  
"Guess we've made some enemies already." Vincent stated looking embarressed for the trouble he's caused so far. He sat down on the couch and pulled the blankets back up.  
  
"Don't worry about it. They're always complaining about me and they haven't kicked me out yet." Cid stated proudly. He got up to his feet and waved to Vincent as he left the room. "Try to stay on the couch this time. Goodnight."  
  
Vincent sighed as he stretched out on the couch. He stayed awake for awhile longer thinking about how different things are now. His life before had been boring and dull. Each day stretched into the next with nothing exciting or notable happening. His family had never paid much attention to him, as if they were ashamed to be related to him. At least they weren't like everyone else who made fun of him or called him a monster. He knew that he was different from everyone else, but he didn't need to be reminded of it every time he went outside. There were times where he didn't go outside for months, locking himself inside trying to forget who he was.  
  
He had lost his left arm in an accident when he was still young. His parents had elected for an experimental procedure to attach a golden claw to his elbow joint which they later had regretted. Vincent had enjoyed having use of his artificial limb until his parents started to hide him away from the public. Once he had realized that they were upset with his appearance, he became more withdrawn. He no longer went to school and spent most of his day reading hoping that everyone else would forget about him. It really hurt him to know that his mother didn't even want to look at him. When he turned 21, he wanted to make everyone proud of him and sent out multiple applications to various organisations. He knew it would be difficult because of his lack of formal education, but he needed to prove himself. To his family, to the world, and most of all, to himself.  
  
He got a response from Himitsu only days after. He wasn't about to pass this opportunity up. He would have to move, but that would be great. A larger city normally means that people are more tolerant. He didn't think that he could be accepted, but he hoped that the taunting would be less frequent. Himitsu was a technology based company that employed almost 15,000 people in various departments. In his amazement of the job offer, Vincent had forgotten to ask what position he would be holding. He packed only what he could fit in a small bag and then left for the train station. His family had followed him there, but he doubted that they were sad to see him go. They were probably just making sure that he was actually leaving.  
  
He rolled onto his side and started thinking about his new life here. He didn't think he could make friends, let alone this fast. Yet here he was, trying to fall asleep on Cid's couch. Maybe people are more easily acceptable in the city. Maybe Cid didn't look at him like a freak. For the first time in years, Vincent fell asleep smiling. 


End file.
